Infidelity is a complicated subject. Given the difficulty of genuine reporting, infidelity statistics may not show the whole picture, but there's a lot we can glean from them. Take a look at people's experiences with infidelity around the world and see how your own expectations on the subject match up to the facts.
What Percentage of Married Couples Cheat?
Finding the exact percentage of married couples that cheat is difficult because most studies rely on self-reporting, and frankly, most people don't want to admit to something as stigmatized as cheating.
While research indicates men and women cheat at fairly close rates, it appears married men still cheat more than women. When you put the data together, about 15-20% of married couples cheat.
The research also shows that:
- The rate of cheating increases with age for both married men and married women.
- About 14% of couples under the age of 55 reported adultery in their marriage.
- Most people who cheat have been married for 20 to 30 years and are between the age of 50 and 60.
Additionally, in a study titled America's Generation Gap in Extramarital Affairs, 20% of older couples noted that they had cheated during their marriage.
How Many Married Men Cheat?: What the Stats Say
What percentage of married men cheat? According to the Institute for Family Studies (IFS), about 20% of married men report cheating on their spouses.
The Institute for Family Studies' research shows that:
- Men in all age groups from 30 to over 80 are more likely than women to be guilty of infidelity in a marriage.
- Married men report the highest rate of infidelity in their 70s.
- Black men report cheating on their wives more than the Hispanic or White men who were polled.
- An ongoing online survey about cheating at TAD shows that men are more likely to report cheating on their spouse multiple times.
- Married men are about 25% more likely to report having one-night stands than women.
How Many Married Women Cheat?: What the Stats Say
The IFS shares that approximately 13% of married women report cheating on their spouses. Their data shows that:
- Women ages 18-29 appear slightly more likely than men of the same age to be guilty of infidelity in a marriage.
- Married women report their highest rate of infidelity in their 60s.
- Married women are about 15% more likely to report having emotional affairs than men.
Related: What to Say When You Want to Break Up: Classy & Kind Options
What Percentage of Marriages Survive Infidelity?
There's no cut-and-dry response to cheating in a marriage. Some choose to work it out while others decide to end things. But what percentage of couples stay together after someone cheats? While adultery isn't always a dealbreaker, infidelity is one of the top-cited reasons couples decide to get divorced.
Here are some important statistics that can give us an insight into the number of marriages that survive cheating or end because of it:
- According to the American Psychological Association (APA), infidelity in the United States accounts for 20-40 percent of divorces.
- According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one partner in 88% of couples studied cited infidelity as a major contributing factor.
- The vast majority of couples from the aforementioned NIH study who divorced only had one partner share infidelity as a major issue.
- People who are under 30 and over 70 were the least likely to divorce after an affair compared to those in their 50s and 60s.
- The APA also cited that 42% of divorced individuals reported more than one affair.
- In a Gallup poll, researchers noted that more than half of partners say they would leave their spouse and get a divorce if they found out their spouse was having an affair.
- About 31% of married partners would stick it out and not divorce a cheating partner.
- Women are more likely to initiate divorce (for any reason) says Psychology Today.
How Many Affairs Lead to Second Marriages?: What the Stats Say
Collecting veritable research on how many affairs lead to lasting partnerships when one partner is married is practically impossible to do. However, the stats we do have aren't favorable for affairs resulting in marriages. In fairness, most second and third marriages fail regardless of why the first one ended.
- Dr. Jan Halper, in her (currently out-of-print) book Quiet Desperation: The Truth About Successful Men noted that only three percent of men who engaged in extramarital affairs actually married their mistresses.
- According to noted marriage counselor Frank Pittman, men who do marry their paramours, have a divorce rate as high as 75%.
Affair Statistics for Unmarried Couples
Cheating statistics for unmarried couples are much harder to come by than statistics for married couples. However, research indicates unmarried people cheat at almost double the rate of married couples.
- Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher shares that 60% of single men admit to trying to woo an individual away from another relationship to be with them.
- About 53% of single women admit they've tried to get another person to leave a committed relationship for them.
- A 2018 study of unmarried men and women found that 44% of people (men and women) engaged in infidelity.
Related: Ending an Engagement: Steps to Take With Kindness & Respect
Statistics on the Reasons for Infidelity in Relationships
While there are a variety of factors in any relationship that might lead a spouse or partner to cheat, studies have found that financial instability can contribute to adulterous behavior.
The American Sociological Association (ASA) notes that 15 percent of men who are financially dependent on their spouse will cheat. They also note that:
- Young men are more likely to cheat if there is a financial earning discrepancy and men are the least likely to cheat if they earn at least 70% of the household income.
- The more a woman earns, the less likely she is to commit adultery.
- Married women are about 25% more likely than men to say they cheated because of marital problems.
Global Infidelity Statistics & Why They're Inconclusive
According to one Pew Research Center study, the top ten countries in which people consider extramarital affairs to be 'unacceptable' are:
- Turkey
- Palestinian Territories
- Egypt
- Jordan
- Indonesia
- Lebanon
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Tunisia
- Malaysia
Most infidelity studies focus on the Western populace, but It's vital to note that non-Western cultural and legal conditions can influence infidelity statistics. Some people who engage in extramarital affairs can be given criminal sentences that require them to pay fines or serve jail time.
For example, the Philippines and Indonesia have extremely strict legal ramifications surrounding adultery and infidelity. Similarly, several of these countries are largely Muslim and have their own cultural attitudes toward infidelity.
Because of these often life-threatening situations, people won't report as liberally as they will in the West. So, global infidelity statistics are inconclusive at best.
Infidelity Is Difficult to Calculate
At the heart of these numbers is the fact that infidelity rates may be way higher or lower across the board because it's notoriously difficult to get a 100% honest sampling. However, current research shows that infidelity has a negative impact on marriage across the board. Though, with the rise of open relationships and ethical non-monogamy, those stats might change sooner than you think.
